Fears of Bowel Cancer. Calprotectin Raised

Hi everyone,

So it's been a long time since I've posted in this forum about my health anxiety which is a good thing I guess unfortunately though I'm going through a very tough time.

Each morning for the past three months I've woken up with bad diarrhea which include thin pencil like stools. This seriously freaked me out so I made a consultation with the doctor.

She was very understanding and arranged two stool tests. One that looks at the tissue for cancer and the other a FIT test that looks for hidden blood. She also ordered a full set of blood tests. Both the stool samples and bloods came back normal and the doctor said that at the age of 27 she is confident we can rule out bowel cancer. She in fact said "she is convinced it's IBS". This filled me with great relief but she did say she would test the stool sample now for fecal calprotectin levels (inflammation).

So a few days ago, I got a text from doctor saying calprotectin is raised to 152 which could indicate inflammatory bowel disease. I have been referred to gastroenterologist but it's quite a wait. This filled me with a lot of fear.

I have read a lot about Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis and I understand that although it isn't ideal, you can still live a full life with it. The thing that's getting to me is it's revived my fears of Bowel Cancer and I'm now thinking "does this mean cancer isn't ruled out anymore?"

Due to my lack of knowledge it's sent me into a spin. I have always found this forum very helpful and supportive and a much healthier alternative to the dreaded Dr Google. Really what I am asking for is some insight from fellow HA sufferers. I really appreciate this and I hope to hear something soon 🙂

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Originally Posted by mattpenny94

"does this mean cancer isn't ruled out anymore?"

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Were you referred to an oncologist? Then yes, its been ruled out.

FMP

Good point, well made 🙂 I certainly haven't been referred to an oncologist, only the Gastroenterologist. The reason my cancer fears came back was because I didn't know whether this inflammation could be a sign of cancer that wasn't shown in the other tests. I'm not even sure what the number 152 means on the calprotectin scale

Sounds like CYA medicine to me.

FMP

CYA?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mattpenny94

CYA?

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Cover Your Arse

FMP